Co-Catalyst: A Year of Teaching and Learning

The past year has been one of deep engagement and impactful contributions for Co-Catalyst. We have taught across multiple universities, designed new curricula, and shared practical and theoretical frameworks on social innovation, entrepreneurship, and gender-lens approaches. Our work has reached both students and practitioners, creating bridges between academic learning and real-world impact.

Through the courses we lead and co-facilitate, we aim not only to equip students with theories that help them navigate and shape social impact interventions, but also to provide them with practical tools for their work in the field. Just as importantly, we strive to create spaces that encourage critical thinking, rigorous analysis, and active collaboration.

Academic Teaching at a Glance

In 2024–2025, we had the privilege of teaching at several leading academic institutions, reaching a diverse audience including students from varied disciplines and countries, as well as experienced social innovation practitioners.

Our programs included:

1. Gender Lens Innovation course at Hebrew University of Jerusalem

An intensive MA course within the Glocal Program in International Development, exploring the intersection of gender, development, and innovation. The course introduced systems thinking, ecosystem building, and gender-lens innovation and finance approaches.

Read the detailed spotlight below.

2. Social Entrepreneurship at Tel Aviv University

Co-taught with Dr. Anat Gafni , this MA course explored strategic models for social impact, covering problem mapping, innovative solution design, and scaling interventions. The format emphasized hands-on, practical workshops.

3. Introduction to Social Innovation at The Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo

An MBA course introducing concepts of innovation for the public good, systems change, and real-world project design. The curriculum featured extensive project labs, detailed case studies, and guest sessions with social innovation leaders.

4. Guest Lectures & International Workshops

Co-Catalyst was invited to present specialized content at several institutions and organizations: 

• Arava Institute for Environmental Studies: A workshop focused on social entrepreneurship for Palestinian and Jewish women in East Jerusalem. 

• Nagoya University (Japan): A lecture onGender-Lens Social Innovation for Master's students in the Gender and Environment programGender-Lens Social Innovation for Master's students in the Gender and Environment programGender-Lens Social Innovation for Master's students in the Gender and Environment program. More insights from the lecture can be read here.

• Philtech: A workshop on Innovating and Scaling for Impact for NGO leaders from the USA and Israel, held as part of PhilTech’s Digital Leaders Course. Explore key insights and highlights from the session here.

5. New Syllabus Development

We also developed a new course on Business Strategies for Emerging Markets for Nura Global Innovation Lab (formerly Pears Program for Global Innovation)and the SID Israel, designed to help professionals scale impact in complex environments by bridging market strategy, innovation, and systems thinking.

In Focus: Gender Lens Innovation at Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Among all our courses this year, Gender Lens Innovation stands out as a deep dive into the intersection of gender, finance, and innovation.

“Can innovation be a catalyst for systems change toward gender equality?”

This question became the core inquiry for students throughout the course. Together, we examined how innovation and finance can challenge systemic gender inequalities and drive social change.

The course embodied Co-Catalyst’s broader mission — bridging global frameworks with local realities, and connecting academia with practice. Lectures featured guest practitioners who shared their on-the-ground vision, while students applied theoretical and analytical instruments to real-world case studies spanning the Middle East, South-East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America.

Core themes included:

1. Social Innovation with a Gender Lens — we discussed key concepts and their evolution with students and presented DANA Venture Builder and Future Holders org. as case studies of gender-focused social innovation.

2. Systems Thinking with a Gender Lens — the lecture examined how innovation systems sustain or challenge inequality, using examples of digital female entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa.

3. From Social to System Entrepreneurship — we explored how supporting female founders can drive system change, illustrated by the #HerFutureAfrica and Coalition for Digital Equality initiatives.

4. Gender-Lens Finance — the lecture highlighted how capital allocation affects gender equality, using the 2X Challenge as a framework.

5. Ecosystem Building — the class was devoted to discussing the principles of designing inclusive innovation ecosystems and examining the case of M-Kyla.

Case studies were enriched by perspectives from social innovators, social impact leaders, and advisors from Co-Catalyst and beyond, who joined as guest speakers, including:

• Eunice Baguma Ball — Director of ATBN, Co-Founder & Head of Operations at Ishango.ai, and Co-Catalyst Advisor.

• Eli Rezinsky — Fractional Ops & GTM Executive, Co-Founder and COO of Unlock (acquired), behavioral economist, and Co-Catalyst Advisor.

• Zada Haj — Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, Founder of DANA Venture Builder, and Co-Founder of Future Holders org. and Beit Elmim.

• Gideon Brefo – Chief Executive Officer at hapaSpace Collaborative Hub and Program Manager at SEADE.

• Hilly Hirt – Senior Advisor in Innovative Finance for Sustainable Development, who has led impact entrepreneurship initiatives at the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation.

• Liubov Ermolaeva – Founder and CEO of BuySocial, and a Lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

These practitioners helped students translate gender-lens innovation from theory into practice and provided valuable, real-world insights into how impactful work in the field can be strategically approached.

Student Outcomes and Reflections

By the end of the course, students demonstrated the ability to:

• Critically evaluate gender-based barriers using a systems lens.

• Understand how innovation and capital allocation shape inequality.

• Design gender-responsive interventions and apply investment frameworks.

• Engage with global and local case studies to connect theory with practice.

One standout final project involved an in-depth analysis of the Women Accelerating Vibrant Enterprises in Southeast Asia and the Pacific (WAVES) initiative, a World Bank and Asian Development Bank program supporting women-led SMEs in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Fiji.

The project generated several key insights:

• WAVES aimed to close Vietnam’s $1.19 billion gender financing gap.

• It produced strong policy and ecosystem outputs but did not fully address systemic barriers.

• The project applied Goodman’s Systems Model and the 2X criteria to analyze the gap between tame programmatic solutions and wicked systemic problems.

• The student recommended more micro-level interventions such as accelerators, mentorship networks, and negotiation training.

Reflecting on the project and the overall course experience, the student concluded:

For other participants, the course deepened their understanding of gender and technology dynamics and inspired them to become active social innovators:

What We Learned This Year

While we shared our expertise with students, the act of teaching itself yielded valuable educational observations for the Co-Catalyst team. This year reaffirmed that teaching itself is an evolving practice, requiring adaptability to emerging technological and social dynamics.

1.  AI Transforms Academia

AI is fundamentally reshaping how students learn and produce work. As educators, we must shift our focus to ensure students are developing genuine critical thinking, reflection, and synthesis skills, rather than just generating polished outputs. We are adapting by emphasizing assignments that require deep application: more verbal presentations, collaborative exercises, and experiential learning that reveals genuine understanding. Our vision is that students leave our classrooms equipped with theories that guide action and frameworks that drive tangible impact.

2. Learning Requires Presence

While technology enhances accessibility, it can also create distance. We have seen that encouraging students to disconnect from digital devices facilitates a deeper connection with their peers and the material. Learning is most effective and transformative when students are truly present, engaging in active listening, structured debate, and collective reflection.

3. Internal Perspectives Matter

In social innovation, context is everything. We are intentional about bringing examples from across the globe that are rooted in the experiences and expertise of local social innovators. Connecting global frameworks to local realities helps students understand how systems change actually happens through grounded, community-led practice. In our experience, case studies and reflective exercises prepare students to become thoughtful, strategic changemakers.

This year reaffirmed our core belief: teaching is a dynamic practice that must adapt in response to emerging technological and social changes. 

Through our academic courses, workshops, and collaborations, we witnessed how learning can be a collective act of change, transforming classrooms into laboratories of social innovation where ideas are tested, discussed, and forged into action.